The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 155 Dangerous Tavern

"Taifu told me, he's one of my... my debtors," Akmenon stuttered, the sharp gaze of the other person piercing his mind like a hole, uncontrollable truths spilling from his mouth, "This establishment offers loan services, with interest merely doubling each month..."

"This Taifu, who is he?" Bruto slammed an empty glass onto the bar counter, "And how can you be sure his information is accurate?"

"It's just Taifu, I was stuttering earlier." The tavern owner corrected helplessly, "He handles armament procurement for Yiltu, the former master of that Succubus Paladin. When my... collector brought him to me, he said the only valuable thing he had was this information."

"Is that so..." Lancelot stroked his chin, "So what exactly did he say?"

"Elothysia will arrive at this fortress in two days, escorted by Ashap, a Six-Armed Serpent Demon who has long played a game of cat and mouse with the Succubus Paladin in the Prime Material Plane. They will emerge from the Great Abyss in the south, traveling northward along a tributary of the Stygian River."

"The Great Abyss?" Lancelot looked towards Kalalin.

"It's a place," the Scholar explained softly, "located on the first layer of the Abyss, appearing on the surface like a giant fissure, housing many portals leading to other planes, making it the densest area of portals in the entire Abyss."

"Understood." Lancelot nodded, "How many subordinates does this Ashap have?"

"Her retinue includes at least two Succubi, twelve Berserk Demons, and more cannon fodder." The expression in the Tiflin owner's eyes mocks, "Thank me, you simply couldn't handle this escort group, and any action towards that Succubus would only lead to your own destruction."

"Perhaps we were indeed reckless." Lancelot said nonchalantly, "How many others have you told this information to?"

"I think I've probably saved the lives of four or five groups of Adventurers," Akmenon shrugged, "Just for five hundred Gold Coins, those fools could avoid a near-certain death, what a profitable deal, I'm just too kind-hearted, where else could you find a tavern owner as benevolent as me..."

"What about those Adventurers you sent into the sewers?" Lancelot raised an eyebrow, "And, during the battle with that Ogre Wizard, my armor was shattered. Had my skills not been sufficient, I doubt I'd be having this pleasant conversation with you. How will you address the loss of my equipment?"

"Why must fools always release bolts of lightning in enclosed spaces? How much do these arrogant spellcasters fear their peers that they cannot even share such basic knowledge?" Tiflin, the owner, painfully covered his eyes, "Two of the dead guys still owed money!"

"I will remember this incident," Kalalin assured Lancelot, who was half shocked, half helpless as he watched the guards drag away the bodies on the ground, while the living had already sat down to continue their drinking and merrymaking, as if this was all too familiar.

"What a shitty world," Lancelot muttered under his breath, reminding himself never to surrender to this world.

"I don't want to stay a moment longer." Koula jumped down from the chair. "Let's go back and rest, shall we?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, even Bruto, who was reluctant to part with the wine, stood up, as they were all somewhat uncomfortable with the atmosphere where people could die at any moment.

"Don't forget to check out the meal menu, it's on the stand to the left of the entrance!" Agamemnon called out from behind them.

Lancelot entered the royal suite on the fourth floor a few minutes later than the others; he had raided the tavern owner's collection of 'lost items' in the storage, thus he sported a new chainmail—naturally, one couldn't find plate armor there, nor did anything else fit him well.

While chainmail was far inferior to plate armor in terms of protection, it was much lighter, allowing him to fully utilize his agility advantage.

In fact, Lancelot rarely relied on the protective capabilities of the armor itself anymore; his movement technique was his greatest guarantee. The flesh, strengthened by True Qi, meant the weight of plate armor was no bother to him, but wearing plate armor in battle had become a habit, providing him with a psychological sense of security.

Most importantly, human knights steadfastly believed that plate armor was the most handsome attire for a man, bar none.

After everyone had freshened up and was ready to rest, Lancelot suddenly asked Eckmond to gather everyone.

"Can't we discuss this tomorrow? The succubus won't arrive for another two days..." Bruto yawned as he came in from the next room, but his expression changed when he saw the human knight. "Lancelot, why are you still in your armor? Is the bathroom broken?"